Why Networking is a Crucial Skill for Apprentices

Apprenticeships provide an excellent opportunity for young people to learn while on the job, gaining an education without sacrificing their income or career goals, all while gaining key skills along the way.

However, one skill that often isn’t focused on enough or considered crucial, is networking. The value that it can offer apprentices and young workers is often underestimated.

There are often many opportunities where networking skills and confidence can be developed, including through internal employee events or external business events such as conferences, seminars, or webinars to name a few.

External events can be found easily on social media, the internet, or by reaching out to key leaders in your network and industry.

For those who may be new to networking, knowing where to start can be a minefield! But it’s a mission worth pursuing, and here’s why.


NETWORKING HELPS APPRENTICES DEVELOP SOCIAL SKILLS

When a business brings an apprentice on board, they are demonstrating a commitment to growing that individual’s professional skills and providing them with the platform they need to kickstart a successful career.

While very useful for professional development, it is not uncommon for an apprentice to be left a little socially isolated within smaller businesses, especially if they are the only one in a busy workplace. That’s where providing them access to a network of other people in their position can really help to support them.

The Association of Apprentices is one example, providing networking events dedicated solely to apprentices. Their national events successfully create a safe space for the development of key social skills whilst allowing guests to build relationships with fellow apprentices, forming connections they can rely on for support and with whom they can share experiences both inside and outside of their workplace.

This can help build their confidence, making them more assertive in daily roles, and can motivate them to grow personal skills and develop at pace.


5 KEY BENEFITS OF NETWORKING FOR APPRENTICES

Encouraging your apprentices to attend networking events will help their development, and in turn, help your business flourish with their contribution! Here are some of the other key benefits.


1. GIVE THEM PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE TO ENHANCE THEIR STUDIES

Apprentices can get real insights into not only the industry in which your business operates, but also other industries.

They can develop their knowledge of the world of work and how different companies, or even job roles have synergy with one another. This can often help them build a clearer career path.

Networking is a vital part of an apprentice’s learning journey, where they can grow and gain confidence in sharing opinions and input in meetings, presentations, and general business conversations.


2. HELPS DEVELOP IMPORTANT SKILLS THAT ARE HARDER TO TEACH

You can teach someone technical skills, such as how to operate machinery or how to use software. However, social skills are not so easily taught and usually need to be developed naturally over time.

Networking provides apprentices with the opportunity to share and articulate their thoughts, build connections, and enhance communications. By practicing each of these skills at dedicated events, your apprentice will be able to communicate ideas more clearly at work, too!

3. CREATES COLLABORATION OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN THE INDUSTRY

Networking helps your apprentice connect with and learn from people they would have otherwise never have met. Listening to the experience of experts first-hand can be interesting, inspiring and insightful.

Your apprentices will be able to develop and use the knowledge they gain from events like this to better apply themselves at work, and to also motivate them in pursuit of their career.

There can also be opportunities for mentoring from others within the industry to help further their learning and get tips on how to succeed in the sector.


One of the hardest things for an apprentice to do is learn the basics and established norms and nuances of an industry, while also staying up to date with the changes going on around them. Networking helps them that, providing them with the ability to discuss trends and innovation with other key voices in your industry, learnings from which they can bring to your business.

This kind of knowledge helps your apprentice adapt to new situations and can even help them become a key member in generating new ideas.  


5. IMPROVES THEIR MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Mental wellbeing has never been a more prevalent issue than it is today, and we talk about this last, but certainly not least as a consideration. Networking opportunities can help improve the mental health and wellbeing of your apprentices, particularly if they are the only young worker in your business.

Workplace isolation can lead to loneliness and other mental health difficulties, so providing your apprentices with a place to be themselves and collaborate with other people of the same age or in the same boat is a hugely valuable experience for them.

Knowing that they can develop a support network of their own and learn from the experiences of others who have gone through similar events is refreshing and motivating. It may also help them feel more comfortable asking for help in the workplace, too.


HOW THE ASSOCIATION OF APPRENTICES CAN HELP YOUR APPRENTICES NETWORK

At EDGE Creative, we have a bespoke apprentice experience, with a recruitment strategy and company focus on inclusion, collaboration, and development. Our apprentices also run their own networking events. This approach took a long time to develop but is highly successful.

For SMEs who may be taking on apprentices for the first time, or those who have limited resources to aid in their development, here are five ways the Association of Apprentices can help your apprentice develop their networking skills.

  1. Providing networking events across the UK that are specifically aimed at apprentices and their development.
  2. Helping apprentices to see the value of networking through collaboration and participation.
  3. Facilitating connections for both professional and personal development.
  4. Help provide them with the tools and techniques they need to improve their networking abilities, even giving feedback at the end of a session to help refine their skills in future.
  5. Provide them with online support in the form of workshops or through emails, messages, and meetings. The Association of Apprentices even have certificates and courses that apprentices can undertake in their own time to hone skills across a huge variety of industries.


Get in touch with the Association of Apprentices today to start helping your apprentices to the best of your ability.

Business Networking in Birmingham With EDGE

When developing strategies for developing your business, it’s easy to overlook the impact of networking events.

An often underrated and sometimes completely overlooked aspect of business growth and marketing is networking – the process of meeting and conversing with other business professionals.

At EDGE, we have experienced first-hand the benefits and value that professional networking and collaboration can bring to you and your businesses. That’s why we regularly create, host, and manage various types of networking events for our clients, partners, and prospects. These events are designed to build new relationships and expand your connections, adding value and bringing a multitude of benefits.

Read on to learn more about our business networking events across Birmingham, Solihull, and the wider West Midlands, and how attending these events could help both business growth and personal development.

LEADERSHIP ESSENTIALS: BUILDING NETWORKS AT EDGE CREATIVE

As a leading marketing agency in Birmingham, we know what it takes to grow and develop businesses, both new and established. Networking is a crucial aspect of brand development for several key reasons, including business collaboration, increased sales, recruitment, improving partnership and supplier relationships, and much more.

We manage and host a full range of business networking events that are designed to instigate debates, encourage knowledge sharing, and build rapport between business leaders, professionals, and industries.

They are remarkably successful and have become the catalyst for several business partnerships for EDGE Creative and our clients. Our friendly team always give a warm welcome and support guests with personal introductions to businesses that will be of interest to connect with.

At an EDGE event, you can expect to meet upwards of 100 other industry leaders, many of which from Birmingham and the surrounding areas, though we often have guests attending from across the UK. From boardrooms to hotels and client premises, we ensure our venues are high calibre and accessible with good transport links, parking, and hospitality facilities.

THE BENEFITS OF BUSINESS NETWORKING EVENTS

Networking is more than just sharing a drink or two with other business professionals. It should form an essential part of your business growth strategy. It will help develop several aspects of your business, for example:

CONNECT WITH OTHER BUSINESSES

First and foremost, you will be able to connect, learn from, and partner with other businesses in the same, or even different, fields than you. Having an outlet to spread the word of your products or services is essential, especially if your work is predominantly B2B.

INCREASE BRAND AWARENESS

Word can spread quickly, especially in business. If you offer a unique product or service, or if you’re highly reviewed in a B2B space, then speaking with other business professionals is an excellent way to grow brand recognition.

Business leaders enjoy helping each other out. If enamoured with your methods or even just after an interesting conversation, you may find those you’ve spoken to passing your name around to others!

There’s no better way to stay at the cutting EDGE of your industry than to interact with other forward-thinking, proactive, and trustworthy business professionals.

Everyone’s daily business challenges vary so having an established personal network to lean on adds so much value and support. Also, being on hand to give back to others also brings many rewards in itself.

Building relationships in business is a key part of maintaining business growth and ensuring long-term success.

Knowing the ‘right people’ can help provide you with better access to resources, such as funding or industry-specific needs. An endorsement from a trusted contact will save you time and money during this process.

THE SPECIFICS: EDGE NETWORKING EVENTS

We offer several different types of networking opportunities to help you start building business connections easily and effectively, from larger sponsored events to boardroom leadership discussions and online industry topic-based sessions.

Firstly, our events are free to clients and partners, hosted every couple of months across Birmingham and Solihull, each with its own theme and sponsors at one of our partnered venues. Find out about our forthcoming events by signing up to our mailing list today!

The leadership discussions we host regularly are thought-provoking and successfully designed to help business leaders collaborate and provide useful industry insights which are ideal for newcomers. The topics ignite debates and challenge thinking around the table, everyone takes something new and useful away with them – something they can use in their own business.

Did you know that we recently started a new, exclusive networking event called “The Circle” to meet the demands of having a regular presence in Solihull? We are co-hosting this with Brookvale Development Specialists, Glenn Clarke Financial Planning, Smart Homes, Buckles Law, Forecast Finance, and Harry’s Bar.

It has been carefully cultivated to create and develop a local business network that allows like-minded professionals and business leaders to connect and collaborate for mutual growth. Since its launch, The Circle LinkedIn group has gained over 190 members and is continuously growing thanks to referrals and connections being made.

We would like also to take this opportunity to thank all of our clients, sponsors and partners for playing a key role in our networking success, especially those who have sponsored our events.

GET IN TOUCH WITH EDGE CREATIVE

Whether you are looking to join in on networking for business growth or in need of marketing solutions from a leading creative agency in Birmingham, you are in the right place.

No matter what you need to help develop your business, from website design and development to blog writing and everything in between, the team of our comprehensive marketing and PPC agency in Birmingham are here to help.

Book a free consultation to see how we can help you, sign up to our mailing list to attend our events, or claim your free brand audit worth £750 from our team today!

Collaborative Marketing: A Key to Business Growth

A key aspect of growing your business is incorporating collaborative marketing into your strategies.

Collaborative marketing, also known as co-marketing, is a strategy where two or more businesses come together to promote their products or services.

As many businesses continue to face tough competition and get to grips with innovative technological changes, the importance of collaborative marketing has become increasingly evident.

Businesses can often overlook the importance of collaboration when it comes to business success. However, it can be mutually beneficial for all parties involved in the collaboration, helping them reach a wider audience, boost brand awareness, and encourage business growth.

So, what is collaboration in marketing, how does it work and why is it so important? Read on to learn more!

HOW DOES COLLABORATIVE MARKETING WORK?

The concept of collaborative marketing is built on the idea that businesses can leverage each other’s expertise, resources, and customer base to create more appealing propositions for their audiences.

This can take many forms, including joint advertising campaigns, co-branded products or services, content creation, and events.

Here are some examples of successful collaborative marketing campaigns:

  • ADOBE & FEDEX – These businesses partnered to offer a service that allowed small businesses to create, print, and ship marketing materials. This partnership enabled both businesses to reach new customers and increase revenue.
  • AMERICAN EXPRESS & UBER – American Express offers special incentives and discounts to users who pay for Uber rides using their American Express card. This partnership provides mutual benefits for both businesses by increasing customer engagement and loyalty.

WHY COLLABORATIVE MARKETING IMPORTANT?

  1. REACH A WIDER AUDIENCE:

One of the main benefits of collaborative marketing is the expansion of customer reach, especially as the business you are collaborating with is likely to have a customer base that complements yours. By working with other businesses, you can also tap into a broader market segment that may have previously been difficult to reach.

For example, a computer software company may partner with a hardware manufacturer to offer complementary products and services as a bundled package. This strategy can help the businesses reach a new audience that may have been exclusive to the other party.

  1. BUILD STRONGER RELATIONSHIPS

Collaborative marketing also allows you to build stronger relationships with other businesses in your industry. Working with other businesses in this way can help to establish trust and respect within your industry, which can open up the potential for future partnerships and collaborations.

  1. SAVE TIME AND RESOURCES

Another benefit of collaborative marketing is the sharing resources. Businesses can pool their financial resources and time to create more effective marketing campaigns that utilise the skillset of both businesses and help your marketing budget go further.

In addition, resources such as data, customer insights, and marketing analytics can be shared to gain a better understanding of customer needs and preferences. By doing so, businesses can develop more effective marketing strategies tailored to the specific needs of their target audience.

  1. GAIN A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

Collaborative marketing also enables businesses to gain a competitive advantage. By collaborating with other businesses, companies can tap into the expertise and knowledge of other professionals in their respective fields.

This can result in the creation of more innovative and effective products or services that can outshine competitors.

HOW DOES EDGE CREATIVE APPLY COLLABORATIVE MARKETING?

Collaboration is at the heart of our EDGE ecosystem. We work very closely with our clients and partners across our marketing activities, bringing them into our EDGE network and allowing them to access new opportunities for collaborative marketing with both us and each other.

We achieve this via several avenues: Firstly, our EDGE networking events, in which we partner with our fantastic clients to hold networking events. By sponsoring these events, our clients gain access to a wider audience and, therefore, potential business opportunities.

We also host a variety of Leadership Discussions. Our clients and partners are regularly invited to attend or to even be guest speakers, providing the opportunity to meet new business connections and promote their services.

Our client Bold IT, an award-winning managed IT support business, recently held a Q&A on cybercrime at one of our discussions. This gave them an opportunity to demonstrate their expertise in the field of cyber security and explain its importance to all the businesses that attended, gaining new leads as a result.

By inviting our clients to these events, we provide an occasion for them to meet many other like-minded business owners, which encourages potential collaboration in the future. Learn more about the benefits of being an EDGE client.

We also provide opportunities for our clients and network to take advantage of a variety of offers that can help them take their business to the next level, such as SEO & web audits and new client design vouchers. Our latest offer is a complementary brand audit that will help you stand out from your competitors.

Finally, we run a guest blogging series, partnering with other businesses to promote one another via hosted articles on each other’s websites. Over the years, we have worked with a range of businesses, including universities such as BCU with guest blogs on AI: Your Assistant Editor in Video Post-Production and Are NFTs the Future of Ownership?, animation experts Wakster with a guest blog on The Sensible Way To Choose Between Live Video & Animation, and many more, helping to create a platform for additional publicity.

GROW YOUR BUSINESS WITH A COLLABORATIVE MARKETING STRATEGY

As B2B businesses continue to face challenges in a dynamic market environment, collaborative marketing offers a promising path to success – and the EDGE Creative team can help!

Want to kick start your collaborative marketing strategy? Get in touch with our team of marketing experts on 0121 355 8092.

The Key Benefits of Leadership Discussions

What you need to know for your future leadership discussions:

Leadership discussions are a valuable tool that can be used for both business development and building your brand.

In this article, marketing specialists from our fully integrated agency explain the process behind leadership discussions and highlight some of the key benefits of taking part.

WHAT DO LEADERSHIP DISCUSSIONS INVOLVE?

Leadership discussions involve a group of business leaders and other professionals getting together to discuss a topic that relates to or affects the running of a business.

Topics could cover anything from the most effective ways to raise finance for your business, tips on developing a business mindset, a discussion on female leadership, and everything in between.

The idea is to share knowledge and experiences that help improve the way others run their business and streamline business processes.

4 MAIN BENEFITS OF TAKING PART IN LEADERSHIP DISCUSSIONS:

1) YOU CAN BUILD POWERFUL RELATIONSHIPS

Positive relationships in business are vital, whether with customers, colleagues, suppliers, or competitors.

 These forums open a fantastic opportunity for networking and building meaningful relationships with other professionals.

Not only could you be mixing with prospective customers, but you may interact with suppliers or businesses in industries that complement yours, providing the potential for collaboration.

Events like this also help to open the door to further networking opportunities:

It’s very common to receive invitations to events other attendees are hosting, giving you a constantly expanding business network and the opportunity to develop more valuable contacts.

2) LEADERSHIP DISCUSSIONS ARE EDUCATIONAL

The business world is constantly evolving, and it’s important to continually learn, expand knowledge, and develop skills which enable your business to develop and grow

Leadership discussions allow you to ask questions, receive feedback and learn from other professionals.

Keeping up with the constant advancements in technology, updates to legislation and varying demands from customers and clients means you are well-placed to make informed decisions and jump on any opportunities that may arise in the future.

3) YOU CAN SHARE BEST PRACTICES

When a process has proven successful in the past, it is often repeated in future as it is considered the most successful way of doing something.

Whilst effective in the short term, these practices need to evolve with your business and technological advancements to continue to yield the best results.

Leadership discussions give you the chance to learn from other businesses and discover alternative, potentially more effective ways to do things, that could save you time and money.

For instance, someone could share a solution to a particular problem you have been encountering with your business processes or inform you about a successful aspect of their business that you had previously never considered.

4) THEY PROVIDE YOU WITH STRONG NETWORK

Many business leaders find it useful to have someone to speak to when making key decisions.

Having the support network that these discussions provide, can make handling difficult situations easier, as you to gather valuable insight and expert advice from people who have ‘been there’ and experienced what you are going through.

It doesn’t matter how long your business has been around, any business leader can benefit from insights and advice from a support network, helping to minimise risks and encourage business opportunities.

HOW EDGE CLIENTS BENEFIT FROM LEADERSHIP DISCUSSIONS

As a branding agency, the EDGE team are committed to supporting our clients and providing them with multi-faceted opportunities to raise their profile, increase awareness of their work and grow their business networks.

Our Managing Director, Mark, organises regular leadership discussions for our clients and prospects, offering the opportunity to expand knowledge, share best practices and build great relationships.

We have previously seen our clients develop successful referral networks as a result of these discussions.

In addition, EDGE host regular networking events for clients and prospects, the purpose of these exclusive events is to build business networks and develop relationships with other like-minded professionals.

To keep up to date with information on all of our EDGE networking events, as well as everything else we are up to at our digital agency in Birmingham, please sign up to our mailing list.

High Spirited Networking Event With a Twist

Last night we hosted another of our exclusive networking events at The Jam House, a long-standing, award-winning venue located at the heart of the Jewellery Quarter.

The event took place between 5:30 and 7:30pm and provided our clients with the opportunity to network with a range of professionals across many industries. Our clients also had the chance to try a special selection of Botanical Vodka from our drink’s provider Diagio. We even had a magician doing the rounds, showing off some close-up magic.

Our event was proudly sponsored by our clients Hayward Wright and KLO Financial Services.

Hayward Wright are a proactive accountant based in Redditch, Worcester and Solihull. Working within several different sectors, they provide their clients with financial knowledge and a variety of services.

KLO Financial Services are a team of independent financial advisers and client managers with offices in Warwick, Birmingham and London. Working with both private and corporate clients, they provide tailored financial solutions.

The event was a large success and saw in excess of 100 guests in attendance for a fabulous evening, making it our best event ever.

Our events are free to charge to attend but are strictly by invitation only. Follow us on social media to keep up to date with our next events and sign up to register your interest here: https://edge-creative.com/network/

It’s 2020, Should I Still Be Attending Networking Events?

If you’re debating whether networking is something you want to continue, or start, in 2020 here are three things you should consider first:

In today’s digital age, it’s easier to accept a friend request, add a new connection or respond to a tweet than it is to get out there and attend regular networking events. To some, they may even seem like a waste of time.

Yet, if you attend relevant events, you can guarantee that you’re going to be establishing connections and friendships with individuals in the industry. This targeted networking with real-life contacts is more likely to bring increased value to you and your business. So, what are the benefits of networking events?

STRENGTHEN YOUR BUSINESS CONNECTION

You may argue that this can be achieved through LinkedIn, and we’re not denying that it can be. However, when you’re hit with a ‘new connection request’, there is no guarantee that the person you are about to accept will bring value to your business. Perhaps they will sit as a connection on your page for years to come, never interacting with you and your company.

By attending an industry networking event, you are immediately exposed to individuals and businesses who are relevant to your sector. With face-to-face interaction, you can build rapport and form trust between businesses. Once you have started to develop this relationship, you can add this person to your LinkedIn network too – they’re also more likely to interact with your company this way.

SEE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

By increasing exposure to new people, you gain access to new perspectives and ideas. This can help massively to inspire creativity and support you in overcoming any business obstacles you are experiencing. Exchanging information is a key benefit of networking and meeting new individuals as you gain insights you may not have already thought of.

Networking is also a great opportunity to exchange best practice knowledge, learn about the business techniques of other businesses within your industry and stay in the know about the latest industry trends.

BUILD YOUR BUSINESS REPUTATION

As you pick up new perspectives, other companies will be learning about your own business best practices as you offer professional advice. This can help to build your reputation as a knowledgeable, reliable and supportive person, which will reflect positively on your business. With a positive reputation, your business is likely to pick up more leads.

Being visible is also important in getting your business noticed. By regularly attending business and social events, other leaders in the industry will start to recognise you.

If you’re planning on attending any networking events, it’s a good idea to plan ahead and have a few relevant points of discussion. Not all your conversations have to be about work, but it’s a good idea to have a few relevant topics in mind to show you really know your stuff. Don’t forget to bring your business cards so you can swap details easily!

At EDGE Creative, we run a range of different networking events across the year as a way of giving back to our clients. Our events are by invitation only, but if you are interested in signing up, register your interest here.

Creating the Perfect Presentation

Firstly, a few aspects are essential to keep in mind when planning out your pitch. Putting well-designed content high on the list allows you to think about conceptual thinking, presentation, and user experience. Design and content are important for getting your message across in a concise, clear way. As part of this process, it’s a good idea to plan out the structure of your content, remember to keep it simple and only summarise key points.

A well-designed presentation is a powerful tool. It can give your presentation personality and can demonstrate a level of creative and conceptual thinking that reflects the way you approach businesses. Attention to design is paramount for any presentation! We would recommend taking a design-led approach, using it as a visual tool to boost your pitch.

If you want to use the presentation as an aid, you don’t want to display too much information. Only highlight the essentials, simplify it to numbers and keywords. When you give your presentation, you want it to be engaging and interactive, so you might consider having a quiz at the end of your presentation and offering a prize if it fits your brand and pitch.

This might be obvious advice, but remember to be prepared, practice your presentation in front of someone, talk it through aloud and think about any questions you might get asked at the end of your pitch.

To accompany the presentation, you might want to think about a handout of the presentation with your contact details you could give out after so that your audience can follow up with you or find out more.

HERE ARE SOME DESIGN TOP TIPS

  1. Ensure your presentation reflects your brand, design, and message.
  2. From a design perspective, you could use your main branding colour to add a touch of personality.
  3. When planning your presentation, consider that your audience doesn’t have much time, so you want to get your message across quickly and effectively, without taking anything away from the purpose of the presentation.
  4. For example, you can accentuate numbers with charts.
  5. Add personality to posts by using icons to reduce and simplify the text.
  6. Icons can work like headings or subheadings. They allow your audience to scan content for the key points.
  7. Use compelling imagery, whether they are stock images or your own. Using bold, striking imagery can add personality and establish your brand. The other benefit to using imagery is that it can break up the text.

Top tip of the day: if you’re sending your presentation out, save it as a PDF so that the formatting, fonts, and imagery remain intact.

If you’d like us to plan, design, copywrite and create a presentation, talk to one of the team today for more information. Call 0121 355 8092 or email info@edge-creative.com.

Recap of our Wine Tasting and Networking Event

 

 

Pictured left to right Richard Norton – first photo R&E Finance, Mark Panayides – EDGE, Iain Hall – Panopticsi.  Third photo: Colin Darby – Panopticsi, Katie Edwards – CV Bay, Emma Hill – Panopticsi

R&E finance have extensive experience in finding and providing creative financial solutions. Panoptic are leading system integration company, dedicated to providing the highest quality service to clients to improve their business process.

The event was a huge success with over 80 business delegates attending from across the West Midlands and further afield. A fantastic evening tasting wine, making new business connections and having fun.

Pictured left to right top row first photo: Harry Vlahakis – CV Bay, David Graham – Assured Legel Services, Laura Burns – GBCC. Second photo: Neal Taylor, Mindo Sheamar – M Leisure, Shane Moore – Woodshire, Iain Hall – Panoptic. Bottom row third photo: Jaanika Okk – OKK Arts, Mark Panayides – EDGE Creative, Hannah Campbell – Grosvenor House, fifth photo: Jaanika Okk – OKK Arts, Darren Lake – Pure Cloud Solutions, Mark Skermer – A2B Cars).

To bring the event to a close we held a business card draw, the lucky winner Kate Lowe from KLO Financial Services winning a splendid four-course meal for two at Hotel du Vin.

Pictured left to right first picture: Michelle Richards- MLG, Mark Skermer – A2B Cars, Brian Hughes – Birmingham City Council,  Darren Lake – PureCloud Solutions. Second photo Richard Kerry – Bell Lax, Anthony Richards – Punter Southall, James Adams – Higgs and Sons. Third photo: Melissa Snover – Katie’s Magic Candy Factory.

To find more about R&E finance and Panoptic visit their websites – http://www.refinanceuk.com/ and http://www.panopticsi.com/.

If you would like us to help you promote your business via an event please register your interest today. https://edge-creative.com/network/

The Stiliyan Petrov Foundation’s Second Charity Golf Day

Since 2014, we’ve had the absolute pleasure of working alongside The Stiliyan Petrov Foundation. Following the success of last year’s Charity Golf Day, the Stiliyan Petrov Foundation are to host this year’s event at the Belfry once again on the 7th May in support of the Leukaemia and Blood Disease Research Appeal.

Stiliyan was diagnosed with acute leukaemia in 2012, but thankfully, he finished his treatment and went into remission in 2015. Stiliyan was deeply touched by the support given to him from around the world, and together with his wife, Paulina, established The Stiliyan Petrov Foundation in 2013.

The Foundation aims to revolutionise how leukaemia and cancer are treated by supporting families and children going through the toughest times. As well as providing support, SPF also seeks to develop a safer, more practical and effective process for treatment, relapses and prevention of these illnesses.

Last year, Stiliyan and Paulina Petrov, along with the rest of the Foundation, teamed up with The Belfry Hotel and Resort and organised a golf tournament on the world-famous Brabazon Golf Course, followed by an Evening Dinner with a 3-course meal, auction and raffle.

Last year’s golf day was such a success, the Foundation have decided to host the event again in May this year. The 2017 Charity Golf Day will encompass a game on the Brabazon course, with teams captained by numerous celebrities such as Martin O’Neill, Chris Sutton and Henrik Larsson. Celebrity guests attending will also include Wilfred Bouma, Gareth Barry, and James Collins. The golf tournament will then be followed by a three-course meal along with live entertainment.

With the support of sponsors and the general public for the Golf Day, the Foundation aims to raise funds to support paediatric oncology as well as life-saving drugs and treatment.

Companies are also invited to team up with SPF and sponsor a hole on the golf course on the day. Not only will sponsoring a hole put your company next to world-famous celebrities on an award-winning golf course, but each contribution will go towards aiding life-saving research, improved medical care and support for the families of those afflicted with cancer.

Marc Brooks, the Head of Golf Sales and Membership at the Belfry, said, “We are honoured to once again be hosting The Stiliyan Petrov Foundation Golf Day. The Foundation set up by Stiliyan and Paulina has raised thousands of pounds to help others after being diagnosed with leukaemia.

“Last year’s event was a great success, and we’re delighted to be part of such a great cause for a second year.”

Tickets sold out extremely quickly this year, but there are still sponsorship opportunities available! To get involved, call 020 3637 4718 or email spf@everythingorganised.com.

The Stiliyan Petrov Foundation Charity Golf Day

Since 2014, we’ve had the absolute pleasure of working alongside The Stiliyan Petrov Foundation (SPF) and having them as our charity of the year.

Stiliyan was diagnosed with acute leukaemia in 2012, but thankfully finished his treatment and went into remission in 2015. He was deeply touched by the support he received from around the world, and combined with his kind-hearted nature, he put together SPF to help others who are going through what he went through.

Stiliyan and Paulina Petrov and the rest of the Foundation teamed up with The Belfry Hotel and Resort and organised a golf tournament on the world-famous Brabazon Golf Course, followed by an Evening Dinner with a 3-course meal, auction and raffle.

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For the golf, each team was captained by a celeb, including the likes of James Milner, Gareth Barry, and Martin O’Neill. The banter and competitiveness on the course were phenomenal; well, l we don’t expect anything less from sports people!

Everything went to plan, even the weather, and after an eventful afternoon full of great putts, laughs and sun, it was time to exchange the SPF polos for suits, dresses and champagne.

The dinner was a great way for all the golfers to wind down and for other supporters to get involved and celebrate SPF’s achievements so far and raise further funds through a raffle and auction.

It was an enjoyable yet emotional evening, with Stiliyan talking about his journey, the emotions he went through and the support he received from his loved ones, particularly his wife, Paulina.

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Members from our team included: Louise, Sam, Nisha and Karen. They were more than happy to support SPF throughout the day by live-streaming the golf and keeping SPF’s followers up-to-date on social media through real-time posting.

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After all their hard work, they were grateful to be invited to the dinner too, especially because our director, Lou, likes a good boogie!

With the support of sponsors, celebs and the general public, SPF were able to raise a substantial amount to support Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital.

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We can’t believe that the event has already passed us! Where has the time gone? We were delighted to support SPF with their social media, graphics and brochure, pre and post the event.

We’re excited for everything that’s yet to come for SPF and for us to support the charity on its journey.